Belarus · Soups
Zhur
A traditional Belarusian sour soup whose tang comes from fermented rye (or oat) flour rather than vinegar.
Ingredients
- rye sour starter, liquid: ready-made (zakwas na żurek) or homemade400 ml
- smoked pork ribs400 g
- water1500 ml
- potatoes400 g
- onion150 g
- carrot100 g
- garlic3 cloves
- dried marjoram1 tbsp
- bay leaf2 whole
- allspice4 whole
- hard-boiled eggs4 whole
- sour cream4 tbsp
- salt1 tsp
- black pepper0.5 tsp
- vegetable oil1 tbsp
Method
- 1Get the starter ready. The simplest option is a jar of ready-made liquid rye starter (sold as zakwas na żurek in Polish and Eastern European shops); then skip straight to step 2. To make your own, start 4 to 5 days ahead: in a glass jar stir rye flour with warm water into a thin, pourable batter, drop in a crust of rye bread, cover with cloth, and leave at room temperature, stirring once a day, until it smells clearly sour. Strain it — you need 400 ml.
- 2Put the smoked pork ribs in a pot with the water, bay leaves, and allspice, bring to a boil, and simmer 30 minutes. Lift out the ribs, pull off the meat, and return it to the pot.
- 3Add the cubed potatoes and simmer 10 minutes.
- 4Meanwhile, chop the onion and grate the carrot, and soften them in the oil until golden; add to the pot.
- 5Stir the starter well, then pour it into the soup. Keep it at a gentle simmer (do not let it boil hard) for 5 minutes.
- 6Rub the marjoram between your palms and stir it in with the crushed garlic, salt, and black pepper. Remove the bay leaves.
- 7Serve hot with half a hard-boiled egg, a spoonful of sour cream, and extra potatoes if you like.